Discussion of the Thinglet
by The Mrs.Ventimiglia
Summary: Rory and Luke finish their talk in 'Help Wanted' Oneshot.


Title- Discussion of the Thinglet

Summary- Rory and Luke finish their talk in 'Help Wanted'.

Authors Note- Someone gave me the idea of writing a lot of Rory/Luke stories so I decided to go along with it. There'll be a lot of one-shots where I think could have been some great father/daughter moments but not all of them will be implied LL.

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LUKE: Oh, no. I talked to his mom, though. He got home okay.

RORY: Good, that's good.

LUKE: Yeah, good.

RORY: What about his stuff?

LUKE: Oh, I'm gonna send it.

RORY: Right, makes sense. Luke?

LUKE: Yeah?

RORY: It wasn't his fault.

She sighed, picking at her donut in a contemplative manner. "I just don't understand why no one believes it was an accident. It was just as much my fault as it was his,"

He looked up from the spot he was wiping the counter. "They just don't like to see you hurt," he told her, gesturing to her cast.

She nodded her head slowly in agreement. "I blew up at my mom tonight," she told him, smiling bemusedly over the rim of her freshly poured coffee. "In front of everyone at my grandpa's party."

He grimaced slightly. "How'd she take that?"

"She just blamed it on Jess." she said, shrugging. "No matter what she's going to blame Jess."

"She just doesn't know him like we do," he told her, squeezing her hand briefly.

"No one does." she mumbled. "This whole town, even Lane, they're all happy he's gone but I just feel like it won't be the same without him."

"Well Taylor's blood pressure might go down a little but not that much will change," he told her, trying to convince himself.

Ignoring him she went on. "And then my dad comes to town and tries to act like super-dad, actually helping out and while I want him gone mom probably still hasn't gotten over him."

He looked over at her, concerned slightly. "You don't want your dad here?" he asked, grabbing another donut and passing it to her.

"I do, I really do, it's just every time he comes here it seems like he'd rather spend more time with mom than me. And mom will convince herself she's fallen in love with him again and then he'll leave her heartbroken and I'll have to pick up the pieces," she explained, shrugging tiredly.

He listened to her, wishing he knew someway to help her, but there was nothing coming to mind. "Have you told your mom?"

"No, I just don't know how to bring it up. That I'm over the Haley Mills phase in my life and I just want her to be happy and that it's obvious my dad can't make her." she admitted, swallowing nervously.

He nodded as if he understood but she assumed he didn't. "Well you should at least try,"

"Maybe," she agreed, biting her lip in reflection. "So what happened between you and my mom?" she asked suddenly, causing Luke to stiffen his upper body and scrub at the counter more forcefully. "Luke?" she asked cautiously when she didn't get an answer.

"She hasn't told you?" he wondered, trying to extract the bitter tone from his voice, but only succeeding slightly.

"She just said it wasn't that big of a deal, that it was a 'thing-let'." She told him, quoting her mom's words.

"A thing-let?" he asked, shaking his head from the sudden anger.

"Just a little fight," she clarified, suddenly a little nervous.

He sighed, pushing himself back against the coffee-makers. "It was just a fight, she said some things, I said some things, it was nothing,"

"But you wouldn't just pack up and leave if it were nothing. What did she say exactly?" she asked him, sending him a knowing look as if to say 'You're a horrible liar'.

He crossed his arms over his chest, swallowing the anxious lump in his throat. "Listen, Rory, if your mom wanted you to know, then she would have told you, and obviously if I told you, it would make her even more mad at me."

She grimaced slightly over the rim of her coffee mug. "It was that bad?" He nodded. "Could you just sum it up? Not the entire fight, but just what you guys' said?" she wondered hesitantly, not knowing if she crossed an invisible line.

He sighed, knowing that he'd give into her eventually. "After she got back from the hospital, she came here looking for Jess. I told her I didn't know where he was and then she told me that you were in the hospital. Then, I went to look for Jess while your mother continued to blame me blame me for the car crash. I told her that I had to go find Jess and that at least she knew where you were. Some other things were said and then we ended it with a 'Go to hell' and a 'Right back at-cha'." he explained, noting her wide-eyed look.

"So she blamed you?" she asked, the quiet incredulity obvious in her tone.

He shrugged; trying to act like it was no big deal. "She needed someone to blame, her kid was in the hospital." he told her gently. "It wasn't that big of a deal,"

She shook her head in disagreement, but said nothing in response. "You know it wasn't your fault either, right?" she asked him, instantly shocked when she got no answer in response. "Luke, this is in no way your fault. Just because you wanted me to tutor Jess didn't mean that I had to hand him over my keys and allow him to get ice cream, or tell him to turn right when we should have went left. Like we agreed earlier, it was just an accident."

He nodded, the façade as if he agreed put up. "So, do you want his number or something?" he asked suddenly, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. "He'd probably like to hear from you, to know if you're okay,"

She smiled with interest. "That'd be great." She took the piece of paper, looking at it briefly before folding it up and slipping it in her purse. "Luke?"

"Yeah?" he asked, cleaning up her empty coffee mug.

"Just, thanks for caring, for talking, for being here," she told him, smiling shyly.

He returned the smile. "I'll always be here for you," he assured her softly before walking into the kitchen with the mug and plate in his hands.

Rory sat on the stool, looking out the window, past Luke's truck that was slightly blocking the view of the gazebo and just at the peacefulness of the town. Suddenly, a tan jeep sped by, slowing down in front of the diner. "Uh, Luke, I think I have to go," she called tentatively into the kitchen, collecting her purse off the stool next to her.

"Oh?" he questioned, walking out of the kitchen with a rag wiping off his hands. He saw her gesture towards the window and noticed the woman sitting behind the wheel. "You better go, then," he advised, walking over to counter. "Take these," he said, holding out two chocolate donuts.

She smiled briefly and complied, "Thanks," she began to walk towards the door, pausing silently with one hand on the doorknob when she heard him call out her name.

"Don't forget to call him," he warned, smiling sincerely.

"Only if you two," she said gesturing with her free hand between him and her mother outside. "Work this thing-let out,"

He nodded in agreement, watching as she walked out and into the car, handing her mother the donut in which she took with great appreciation. He watched the two of them drive off, Rory's hand waving a silent good-bye. Things would get better in time, they had a deal and he wouldn't back down.

* * *

Good? Bad? In-between? What are your thoughts?


End file.
